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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — of water
  4. spell — letters
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spell — magic
  20. mark — a trace
  21. club — a group
  22. mark — a grade
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com